Melting-furnace



G. H. BENJAMIN.

'MELTIING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9. 1920.

Patented Dec. 27, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

40 section taken on the line I-I of Fig. 2.

-Melting-Furnaces,

,UNITED S ATES PATENT.

OFFICE.

GEORGE mm IBERIA-III, m YORK, N. Y.

nmmmermaca.

Specification Letters Patent. P t t 27, 1 2 I v Application filed April 9, 1980. Serial Io. 878,888. To aZ-lcbhomdtmay cmwem: V melting portion and 6 the atherin it Be it known that I, Gnome HILLARD BEN of the furnace, both of whilzh may ga e viii? JAMIN residing at New. York, county of New York, State of New York, have inventedcertain new anduseful Improvements in of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to amethod of and apparatus for melting and, casting metals, especially those ofthe type where the melting operations dov not require the exhibition of a very hi h temperature, and where the casting 18 e ected at a lower temperature,

and where both operations are preferably carried on under conditions where oxydization of the metal or metals (alloys) W111 not take place, or appreciably aflect the metal or metals under treatment.

,In practice it has been found that with readily fusible metals, melting is preferabl effected at the highest tem erature whic maybe employed without e ecting volatili- 'zat1on of the metal, and for the reason that separation of the impurities is best efl'ected under such conditions, and further, that casting can be best efi'ected at a lower temillustrate suc erature than is employed in melting and ibr the reason the lower the temperature of the metal, the less liability there is for the absorption of oxygen or gases by the metal.

The object of my invention, therefore, is a method of melting and casting and an apparatus, by reason of which the temperature of melting and casting may be regulated as desired,'as also the flow of the metal in cast- The accom anying drawings will serve to an apparatus as I find best adapted to carry my invention into efi'ect, in which Figure 1 is a transverse vertical Fig. 2 is a lon itudinal vertical section 1 taken on the line I II of Fig. 1.

Fig. '3 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line III-III of Fig. 2.

Fi 4 is a longitudinal section the line IV-IV of Fig. 1. I

Figs. 5 and 6 are vertical and partial lonitudinal sections taken on the same line as taken on ig. 2, and illustrating in Fig. 5 the arrangement of a casting apparatus in connection with the furnace structure, and in Fig. 6 the arrangement of a movable metal receptacle in connection with the furnace.

Referring to the drawings, 5 indicates the suitable construction. The melting portion 5, as shown, consists of the side walls 7, roof 8, end wall 9, and hearth 10. The hearth 10 1S inclined downward from each side of the furnace toward a trough 11, which trough portlon is inclined from the rear end of the furnace 12 toward the gathering end or portion 6. The gathering end consists of the front and rear walls 13-44, which wall 14 forms the front end of the melting portion 5, side walls 15 and roof 16, and trough 17, which is a continuation of the trough 11, and is arranged at right angles thereto, as shown in Flg. 3. The bottom of the trough 17 is horizontal, and on a level with the forward end of the trough 11. Located within the melting portion are combustion chambers 1819, adapted to be fed with gas and arranged on either side of the furnace. The products of combustion from the combustion chambers are carried u ward to air regenerators 21, through suitable flues 22, and thence to the atmosphere through chimneys 23. Air heated by the products of'combustion may be employed as usual to heat the air which is combined with gas and introduced into the combustion chambers, the air being carried through the pipes 24 to the air regenerating chambers 21, located on the roof 8 of the melting portion 5, and roof 16 of gathering portion 6, and are, therefore, heated by the outgoing products of combustion and by the heat and conducted through the roofs 816. This arrangement, I find'to be advantageous. The air regenerators, however, may be otherwise placed. A similar combustion chamber 25 is placed in the gathering portion 6,-with similar gas and air burners 26, and similar air regenerators 27. The eneral arrangement of the combustion cham ers, gas burners and air regenerators is substantially similar to that disclosed in my prior Patent 1,268,204, dated June 4, 1918. The only point of difference is the chan e of position of the air regenerators relative to the roof of the chambers. It will be observed that the combustion chambers 1819-25 are supported in the upper part of the melting portion 5 and gathering portion 6. I prefer this arrangement, for the reason that when heating chambers are so located the heat effects are more umformliy distributed than would be the case if these chambers were otherwise placed.

Situated at intervals on both sides of the melting portion are doors 28, through which the material to be melted may be mtroduced onto the hearth 10. Situated in front of the gathering portion is a door 29, through which the molten metal in the trough 17 may be ladled out of the hearth if desired.

Referring to Fig. 5: Communicating ,with the trough 17 is a passage 30, which feeds a measurin device 31, controlled by the slides 32-33. ituated below the measuring device is a casting apparatus which consists of a pillar 34, on which is rotatably mounted a disk 35, carryin molds 36.

Referring to ig. 6: Communicatin with the trough 17 is a passage 30, contro ed by a slide 32, and situated under the passage 30 is a receptacle for molten metal 37 on wheeled truck 38 on trackway 39.1 In the.

rear end of the furnace is a pipe40 through which an suitable neutral or reducin gas ma be introduced into, the body 0 the me ting portion-5 and casting'portion 6. j

The method employed in operating my improved furnace is as follows:

he solid metal or allo is introduced through the'doors28 and un er the influenceof heat set free from thecombustion chambersis melted andfiows into the trough 11. Preferably the temperature employed is as high as may be used without effecting volatilization of themetal; The metal when in the trough has. a vertical movement in fining, the impurities gradually rising to the top and-the heavier metal sinking to the bottom, and throu h the inclination of the trough 11 flow to t e trough 17 of the gath removed through the door 29. The tempera ture of the gathering portion 6 is lower than'the temperature in the melting port on .5, and the temperature of the ortions 5 and-6 can be-regulated by a ing .the

combustion of gas and air'm t e; chambers.

18, 19-, 25, or the chamber 25 in the portion.

6 can be cut out of action so. that the only temperature in the portion die that of the heated metal or alloy. The molten metal on the hearth 17 may be ladeled through the door 29,01, as shown in Fig. 5, allowing it to flow into the passage 30 and measuring device-31, the slide 33 at the-time closed, sub sequently the slide 32 closed and the slide 33 opened, when the metal in the measuring device 31 will flow into the'mold 36 which atithe" time is under the measuring device. It will be seen b reason of. the arrangement described t at the metal up to the time .it-is discharged into the mold 36 iskept from contact with the atmos here and that ameasurable amount. of meta ig eeliw of the trough of t "witha tro ered as the slides '32 and 33 are manipulated. In Fig. 6 when the slide is opened any amount of metal up to the capacity of the receptacle 37 may be allowed to flow into the I tion and provided with a trough thereof,

communicating with'the trough of the melting portion, the bottom of the trough of the gathe portion locatedin the same horizontal p ane occupied by the forward end 0 melting portion. 2. In a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a melting portion provided with an inclined trough in the hearth thereof, a gathering portion situated in front of the melting portion, provided with a trough in the hearth thereof and communicating with the trough in the melting portion, said trough collectively forming a single trou h.

3. In a metallurgical furnace, t e combination of'a mel portion, a hearth therefor provided with a sides toward the. center of the portion, a troughsituated between and below the inner ends of the inclined hearth, a gathering portion in front'of the meltin portion provided ugh in the heart thereof and conimunicating with the trough in the melting ering portion 6. Any impurities on .the surface of the metalin the trough 17 may "be' portion.

earth inclined from the 4. In a metallurgical furnace, thecombination of a melting portion consisti of a longitudinally arranged chamber, a earth for such chamber having inclined sides a trough situated between the inclined sides, a agilithering portion consistin of a longitudin y right angles to the melting chamber, and

such chamber situated in' front of the melt-- ing chamber, a hearth therefor, a trough situated below the hearthand communicating with the trough of the melting portion.

5. In a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a melting portion consisting of a chamber, spaced doors, arranged along each side ofthe chamber, a hearth having inclined sides, a trough situated between the inclined sides of the hearth, a. gathering por tion co of a chamber, a hearth there= 11;, a trough beneath the hearth communicat= ingd with theti-ough of themelting portion, an o disposed chamber w ose axis'is at pening in the chamb o the therin I P 13 011 th1'0 h whi h t d m a;

6. In a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a melting portion consisting of a chamber, a series of combustion chambers nation of a melting portion consistin of a.

chamber, means for heating said cham er, a hearth portion, a trough in the hearth' portion, a melting portion consisting of a chamber, means for heatin said chamber, a trough in the hearth. t ereof, said trough communicating and having its bottom continuous with the trough in the melting portion.

8. In a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a melting portion consisting of a chamber, a gatherm portion consisting of a chamber situated in front of the melting chamber, combustion chambers in said chamber, air regenerator situated over and in contact with the roof of said chamber, and means for feeding gas and heated air into said combustion chambers, together with means for conveying the products of combustion from the combustion chambers through the air regenerator.

'9. n a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a meltin chamber, a gathering chamber, a casting evice situated under the gathering chamber, and means for feeding at intervals, regulated portions of the molten material from the gathering chamber into the casting device.

10. In a metallurgical furnace, the combination of a melting chamber, a gathering chamber, a casting device situated under the gathering chamber, said casting device consisting of a neutral table carrying mold, and means situated between the bottom of the gatherin chamber and the mold whereby regulate quantities of metal may be withdrawn; first into the measurin device, and then discharged into a mold at intervals.

11. The method herein described, which consists in melting and fining, at a determined temperature, in a chamber, delivering the fined metal into a second chamber, maintaining the temperature of the .fined metal in the second chamber at a point lower than that of the melting chamber, and withdrawing the fined metal from the bottom of the second chamber, in re lated quantities into molds ada ted to recelve such metal.

12. The met 0d herein described, which consists in introducing cold metal into a melting chamber at the'highest temperature to which the metal ma be subjected without volatilization, conveying the fined metal from said chamber 1nto a second chamber, and maintaining the metal in said second chamber at a lower temperature than that in the melting chamber, the temperature bein that which is best adapted for castin an finally withdrawing the metal in a flui condition from the second chamber, and depositing it in regulated quantities into a suitable receptacle or receptacles.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of one witness on the 6th day of A ril 1920.

EoRGE HILLARD BENJAMIN.

Witness:

Enrsa L. INGALLS. 

